Hi, I am a Current junior in a NJ hs (Will Graduate 2016), and I am currently interested in becoming a nurse. Please let me know your opinion on my chances of getting in as a nursing major at any of the schools listed here. Here are my current stats and my predicted future classes:
8th Grade:
Honors Spanish 1: A
Honors Algebra 1: A
Freshman Year:
Accelerated English 1: A
Accelerated World History 1: A
Honors Spanish 1: A
Honors Geometry: B
Honors Biology: B
Band: A
Sophomore Year:
Honors English 2: A
Honors US History 1: A
Honors Spanish 2: A
Accelerated Algebra 2: B
Honors Chemistry: B (90)
Personal Finance: A
Entrepreneurship: A
Summer: US History 2: A
Junior Year:
AP English 3: B
AP European History: B
AP Psychology: B
Honors Spanish 3: B
Accelerated Pre-Calculus: B
Accelerated Physics: A
Senior Year: Class Predictions:
Honors English 4
AP Statistics
Honors Anatomy
AP Environmental Science
Culinary
ECs:
I.N.T.E.R.A.C.T. Club: Volunteer–Will be a member all 4 years (Hoping for Officer Position Senior Year)
Debate Club: Will be a member all 4 years
Student Alliance: Mentor-- Will be a member for 2 years
E.S.C.A.P.E. Club: Will be a member for 1 years
Yearbook: will be a member for 1 year
Student Council: Will be a member for 1 year
Volunteer at Major Hospital for about 30 hours
Volunteer at Tutoring Center for 25 hours
Work at Tutoring Center for 3 months so far 2 days a week–6 hours a week
About Me:
Junior in HS in NJ
U.W. GPA: about a 91–3.64
W. GPA: About a 95–3.8
PSAT Score: 1900
SAT Scores: 1980 CR+M: 1260
2100 CR+M: 1390
SAT Super Score: 2110 CR+M: 1390
I will be taking SAT one more time in June and I hope to earn a 2200 for my superscore, but I am not sure if this will happen.
Other Info:
Daughter of a Single Mom
I am Half African American.
Other Schools I am Interested in Applying to Nursing Programs are:
University of Delaware
The College of New Jersey
Rutgers New Brunswick
University of Connecticut
Temple University
Drexel
University of Pittsburgh
University of Massachusetts Amherst
@kat415 - I think you have an excellent chance of getting into the nursing schools you have selected so far. Since you are looking at schools in Philly, have you considered UPenn? Also, you may want to look at Duquesne Univ. in Pittsburgh since Univ. of Pittsburgh is on your list.
Does your high school offer AP Chem or AP Biology? If so, you may want to take AP Chem or AP Bio senior year instead of AP Environmental Science. For senior year, you only have listed 5 classes. What electives do you have that would enhance your HS record - some suggestions: public speaking, sociology, global awareness/issues, student leadership? Culinary [is that cooking?] would be fun but a little weak as an elective.
I would try to increase your volunteer hours at the hospital to at least 100 or greater over the summer. What are your summer plans? Some of the schools you have listed have summer programs [U. Pittsburgh has one].
Your SAT scores for the taking the exam for the first time are great. You can also retake the SAT in October too if June does not give you enough time to prep. You may be a candidate for merit aid. Keep up the good work!!!
@blueskyforever - I am thinking about adding preschool childhood development lab to my senior year schedule in addition to AP Environmental, Honors Anatomy, Honors English and AP Stat. Unfortunately, I am not able to change my schedule to include AP Bio or AP Chem. Do you thinking adding preschool would help at all?
@kat415 - This is still April & your senior year doesn’t start until August or September? You should be able to make a senior year class change - school is still in session - summer break has not started. Is the counseling department at your school telling the students that they can not make a schedule change? Is it because they do not want to be bombarded with hundreds of students changing their schedules? Regardless, if you go to a large public high school and your mom is a taxpayer or if you attend a private HS and pay tuition, you have educational rights. You took Honors Biology freshmen year and received a B and Honors Chem sophomore year with a B. So, grade wise you should be eligible for AP Chem or AP Bio. The problem is that it is OK to take AP Environmental or AP Physics if your HS does not offer AP Chem or AP Bio but if your school does offer those classes then nursing admissions probably would prefer AP Chem or AP Bio because they are better preparation and make you a more competitive applicant. Also, freshmen and sophomore years were 2-3 years ago and by taking either AP Chem or AP Bio now is more recent. AP Bio would probably be a little easier than AP Chem or if you can drop AP Environmental & Anatomy & take AP Bio & AP Chem, that would give you a very strong academic record. If you take to your GC about your career objectives and why you need to change your schedule to include classes that are more advantageous to making you a more competitive applicant, that should give you the ammunition for class changes. Also, get your mom involved to advocate for you and don’t stop even if you have to go above the CG to the Dean of Students or Vice Principal. If you look at the UPenn School of Nursing website & contact the nurse recruiter by email, she will respond with the recommended HS preparation classes for UPenn SON. Also, look at other nursing school websites under admissions and email nurse recruiters as to the recommended science classes and bring printouts to the CG to reinforce that you are doing your homework by looking into college admission requirements. My d’s GC was pushing AP Physics over AP Chem or AP Bio for the students interested in pursuing nursing in college. When my d forwarded the email from the UPenn Nurse Recruiter saying that AP Chem & AP Bio are recommended over AP Physics then that finally got the CG to stop pushing the Physics.
You have great SAT scores and you want to line yourself up not only for admission but for merit scholarships by having a stellar HS record. Even if you don’t pass the AP exam with a 4 or a 5 in May 2016, the colleges will not see that but they will your strong HS record.
Preschool childhood development is better than culinary or would you take that as a class #5? If you were to take AP Stats, AP Bio, AP Chem, Honors English then maybe throw in preschool childhood development - would taking only 5 classes give you enough graduation credits or keeping the culinary also for 6 classes?
See if you can get these:
AP Bio
AP Stats
AP Chem
AP English ( or Honor English )
Keep the Culinary Cooking Class
Spanish 4 ( ? )
Not every nursing programs but some colleges look for 3-4 years in a single language & 4 years in core classes including history. If your GC won’t let you take both AP Bio & AP Chem & can only fit you in one of these classes, I would choose AP Bio.
My D’s high school program advisor told me that, in her opinion, every student *should take a fun class if they are taking a rigorous load. Both of my D took the Culinary class & also some Art classes in hs.